New York Giants

Darkwa Placed On Injured Reserve Opens Door For Vereen Return

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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New York Giants running back Orleans Darkwa became the odd man out of the backfield rotation recently. This week, Darkwa saw his entire season end after being placed on the injured reserve list by the team. The news was broken by ESPN reporter Jordan Raanan, and later confirmed by NJ Advance Media on Nov. 29, 2016.

This roster shuffle may be a double move, as it seems likely that running back Shane Vereen will return from his triceps injury soon. For this week, New York needed to bolster the safety position again. Darkwa had great promise heading into the 2016 season, in the running back rotation and on special teams. Recently, however, it was obvious he was passed by rookie Paul Perkins.

Berhe To Injured Reserve?

Reserve safety Nat Berhe suffered another concussion and he will likely miss the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The concussion is Berhe’s second this season, and there should be a cause for concern about his availability this season.

To plug that gap temporarily, the G-Men promoted Eric Pinkins from their practice squad to provide depth behind starters Landon Collins and Andrew Adams. The safety position has been a revolving door in these parts for several years. This season, Big Blue lost rookie starter Darian Thompson to foot surgery, as well as second-year man Mykkele Thompson already.

Thompson has spent more time on injured reserve than on the field for the G-Men.

According to Dan Duggan, Pinkins is a large safety at 6-3, 230 lbs. He was a sixth-round selection of the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, and the team tried to convert him to a linebacker. “Pinkins turned heads with an exceptional pro day before the 2014 draft. He ran a 4.44-second 40-yard dash and completed 25 bench press reps of 225 pounds.”

Unlike previous seasons, the Giants have remained relatively healthy this year. The offensive line and safety have seen their fair share of injuries though.